DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. 


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. BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 


Economic Circular No. 12 :::::::::: Issued March 24, 1914 


SEA MUSSELS: WHAT THEY ARE AND HOW TO COOK THEM 

With Eighteen Recipes . 1 

The sea mussel, one of the best and most abundant of sea foods, 
furnishes an example of waste of natural resources in America 
through failure to utilize it. In Europe the sea mussel is one of the 
most highly regarded shellfishes. Great Britain and Ireland con¬ 
sume about 35,000,000 pounds and little Holland over 05,000,000 
pounds a year. In France about 400,000,000 pounds are produced 



The Sea Mussel. 


annually and cooked in ways to delight the epicure. Yet in the 
United States practically none are used except as bait or fertilizer. 

DELICIOUS, NUTRITIOUS, WHOLESOME, CHEAP. 

Sea mussels are closely related to clams and oysters. They should 
not. however, be confounded with the fresh-water mussel. As a 

1 Furnished by Mr. Charles Doucot, chef, Hotel Brunswick, Boston, Mass. 
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nutritious and wholesome food they are equal to either clams or 
oysters, and many persons regard them as superior in flavor. They 
rarely fail to please the taste of the lover of sea foods, and the 
experiment of having them presented on the menus of some of the 
prominent hotels and restaurants in Boston lias met with immediate 
success. Patrons who have tried them have asked for them again, 
and they have become recognized features at hotels whose chefs a 
few weeks before were ignorant of the fact that they could be readily 
obtained in the United States. 

Since they are abundant and easily taken, sea mussels are cheap. 
They are found in dense beds yet untouched, accessible to the mar¬ 
kets, and easily reached by tongs and dredges. They can be placed 
on the markets at a lower cost than can either oysters or clams, and a 
barrel of mussels contains more edible material than a barrel of 
oysters. The quantity of actual nutriment contained in the edible 
portions (the meat and liquov) of mussels is slightly greater than in 
oysters and clams, and the mussel therefore contains at least as 
much food, pound for pound, as is found in related shellfish in com¬ 
mon use. As the shells are thinner, a bushel of mussels contains con- 
siderably more foodstuff than an equal quantity of oysters. 

A peck of mussels in the shell will supply all of the meat required 
for a meal for 10 persons. 

Sea mussels are among the most easily digestible of foods, as has 
been demonstrated not only by scientific experiment, but by the 
experience of consumers. The human body is able to use practically 
all of the nutriment contained in the meats and liquor of mussels. 
Persons of weak digestion have found that they can eat mussels with 
impunity when meats cause distress. Being palatable, nutritious, 
digestible, wholesome, and cheap, mussels are food for rich and poor, 
the well and the sick. 

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IX SEASON ALL THE YEAR. 

From the standpoint of both dealer and consumer sea mussels 
possess the advantage of being in season when oysters are out of 
season. The American oyster, which is the best in the world, prob¬ 
ably will never be displaced from its present eminent position in the 
regard of the public, and now that its freedom from contamination 
is being assured through the activities of the United States and 
many State governments, its popularity should increase. But com¬ 
paratively few oysters are marketed from April to September, and 
this is the season at which mussels are at their best on the coast of 
the New England and Middle Atlantic States. Thus they constitute 
a supply of shellfish at a time when the oyster is unobtainable, and 
oyster dealers may handle them with profit during an otherwise slack 
season. 


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The seacoast resorts may be easily supplied at small expense, for 
sea mussels are found on the Atlantic coast from the Arctic Ocean to 
North Carolina, and on the Pacific coast as far south as San Fran¬ 
cisco. Along the shore of New England, New York, and New Jersey 
they exist in beds of great productiveness. 


WHEN NOT TO USE SEA MUSSELS. 

Sea mussels are wholesome, but, as in the case of all animal foods, 
there are conditions under which they should not be gathered or 
eaten. Dead or stale mussels are apt to contain the same dangerous 
decomposition products, ptomaines, as are found in other stale or 
putrifying animal foods. They should be alive when purchased, 
and this can be determined by observing if the shells be closed. If 
the shells gap the mussels are either dead or weak and possibly dying, 
and should not be used. 

Mussels, like oysters, should not be used from sewage-polluted 
waters and, therefore, should not be taken from the vicinity of towns 
or on densely inhabited shores. They should not be taken from 
pilings, rocks, or shores exposed at low water, as in such locations 
they may become polluted or the liquor may become slightly decom¬ 
posed by exposure to the warm air and sun. If these simple pre¬ 
cautions be observed, mussels will be found to be a safe and health¬ 
ful sea food. 


HOW TO PREPARE AND COOK SEA MUSSELS. 

For use in the fresh state, mussels will be purchased in the shell, 
and consumers should be careful to wash them well before cooking. 
The only inedible part, except the shell, is the little tuft of black 
hairs known as the byssus, or beard, which is readily detached after 
cooking. 

Canned mussels of good quality, preserved either in their own 
juice or pickled in vinegar and spices, are now prepared by a few 
firms on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Thus prepared they 
retain their tenderness and most of their natural flavor. 

Mussels may be cooked in the same ways as oysters and clams, 
and in other ways distinctly their own. The accompanying recipes 
are recommended: 

Recipes 

1. Steamed mussels .—Wash and clean thoroughly; place in closely covered 
saucepan or kettle after adding about a cup of water to one-half peck of mus¬ 
sels. Boil 10 to 12 minutes, until they are all well opened. Strain the broth 
and serve the mussels on a large platter. Serve them with some melted butter, 
and a cup of broth to each person. Remove the byssus, or beard, and eat 
same as steamed clams. One-half peck of mussels will serve five people. 


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2. Roasted mussels. —Wash and clean thoroughly as usual. Place in a pan 
and bake in hot oven until they are all opened. Remove one shell, taking 
care not to lose the liquor, and arrange on plates. Serve one-fourth pound of 
melted butter with them. 

3. Fried mussels a la Colbert. —Wash and clean as usual. Steam until shell 
opens. Remove the meats from the shells, and take out the beard; then roll 
in flour, dip in two eggs beaten with one-lialf cup of milk, and roll in bread 
crumbs. Fry in hot fat or oil. Drain and dry well on a napkin. Serve hot 
with a Colbert sauce made as follows: Boil down a gill of brown sauce and 
meat extract the size of a nut; while whipping the sauce put in 2 ounces of 
butter, the juice of a lemon, and some chopped parsley. 

4. Mussel broth. —Wash and clean as usual. Place in closely covered kettle, 
adding a pint of water to one-half peck of mussels, a sliced onion, and a piece of 
celery, if at hand. Boil until the mussels are all opened. Strain the broth 
and serve in cups. A little whipped cream may be served on the side. The 
mussels used for that purpose can be saved for creamed, patties, etc. 

5. Mussel chowder , New England style. —Clean and cook the mussels as usual. 
Remove the meat; take out the beard, preserving the broth or liquor in an- 

* other dish. To a half peck of mussels take 3 ounces of salt pork, cut in small 
dice, and fry in a kettle; add two onions, sliced, and cook well, but do not 
let brown; add a teaspoonful of flour; stir well. Then add the liquor with the 
same amount of water. Let it come to a boil, and add three potatoes sliced 
thin. Boil slowly until they are done, then add the mussels and a pint of boil¬ 
ing milk. Season well, and serve with pilot or soft crackers. 

6. Mussel croquettes. —Clean and scald the mussels as usual. After remov¬ 
ing the meats from the shell, take out the “ beard,” and cat the mussels in very 
small dice. Make a cream sauce, using 2 ounces of butter, 14 ounces of flour, 
one-lialf pint of hot milk, one-half pint of hot mussel liquor; boil it down until 
thick enough; add the mussel meats and the yolks of two eggs; mix well, and put 
in a pan to cool. When thoroughly cold, shape into croquettes, bread in the 
usual way, and fry in* very hot fat. Drain and serve on a folded napkin 
garnished with parsley. 

7. Mussel fritters. —Clean the mussels as usual and steam until all are opened. 
Remove the meats; chop them up not too fine. Make a batter with 4 ounces 
of flour, teaspoonful of olive oil, three eggs, salt and pepper, and one-half tea¬ 
spoonful of baking bowder. Mix well and add some of the mussel liquor to 
thin out. Mix in the mussel meats and fry in hot fat a golden brown. 

8. Mussel chowder, New York style. —Take one-half peck mussels, clean, 
wash, and steam. Strain the liquor and keep hot in a separate dish. Take 
the meats out of the shell, remove the byssus, and cut mussels in two if large; 
if not, leave whole. In another kettle fry 3 ounces of salt pork cut in very small 
dice. When well fried, add two onions and one green pepper, cut in small 
dice also; fry a few minutes; add the liquor with the same quantity of water 
and two large potatoes diced; boil until the potatoes are cooked; add two 
tomatoes, peeled and cliopi>ed up; boil a few minutes more. Put in the mussels 
and sprinkle a little thyme leaves and serve. 

9. Creamed mussels. —Prepare the mussels as usual. Make a cream sauce 
thus: Take 3 ounces of butter, place in saucepan, when melted add 2 ounces 
of sifted flour. Stir well while cooking and do not let the mixture get brown. 
Add a pint of hot milk and one-lialf pint of mussel liquor and cook 30 minutes. 
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Strain and add mussel meats. 
Serve on toast, or in patties, shells, croustades, etc. 

10. Mussels d la Provencale. —Prepare and clean as usual. Take two table¬ 
spoonfuls of olive oil, place in frying pan or spider, let it get hot until it begins 


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to smoke; throw in the mussel meats, the beards removed, with some finely 
chopped onions and a little garlic. Fry a few minutes and serve. 

11. Mussels on the half shell Bourguignonne. —After cleaning and steaming 
the mussels as usual, remove the top shell. Then prepare one-fourth pound 
of butter with a few cloves of garlic and some parsley chopped very fine. Mix 
thoroughly and spread a piece of it the size of a nut on each mussel. Place 
in hot oven a few minutes and serve sizzling, garnished with quartered lemon 
and parsley. 

12. Mussels on the half shell a la Mariniere. —Clean and steam the mussels 
as usual, adding one-lialf cup of water and one-half cup of white wine to one- 
half peck of mussels. Strain the liquor and make a Mariniere sauce as fol¬ 
lows: Chop a large onion very fine, fry in 2 ounces of butter, but do not let 
it get brown; add 1 ounce of flour, stir well, and add the liquor; boil 30 minutes; 
season to taste; add some chopped parsley; and pour over the mussels, which 
have been previously placed on a hot platter on the half shell. 

13. Mussels a la poulette. —Operate in the same manner as for the Mariniere 
style. Omit the white wine, add a yolk of egg and some sliced mushrooms to 
the sauce. 

14. Mussels a la Catalane. —Clean and wash as usual. Steam in covered kettle 
with an onion cut coarse, some parsley, and whole white pepper. When cooked 
remove the beards and the top shell. Make a sauce by frying a finely chopped 
onion in 2 ounces of butter, adding 1 ounce of flour, the liquor from the mussels, 
and season to taste. Cook 15 to 20 minutes; add the juice of a lemon. Cover 
the mussels with the sauce, sprinkle over them some bread crumbs and a little 
melted butter, and brown in hot oven. 

15. Mussels a la Mornay. —Operate as for creamed mussels, adding a little 
grated Parmesan cheese to the cream sauce. Cover the mussels on the half 
shell with sauce, sprinkle a little grated cheese over them, and brown in hot 
oven. 

10. Pickled mussels. —Clean and steam in the usual way. Take out the meats 
and place in a bowl with one carrot and two onions sliced very thin, 10 grains 
of whole white pepper, three cloves, one-fourtli ounce of salt, 10 grains of all¬ 
spices, one small red pepper if any handy, one-half pint of good vinegar, one-half 
pint of mussel liquor, and two tablespoonfuls of olive oil, one clove of garlic. 
They are ready to eat after a few hours. 

17. Sea-mussel stew. —One-half peck of mussels steamed and cleaned as usual, 
kemove the meats from the shells and place in a soup tureen with their own 
liquor. Add a pint of boiling milk, 4 ounces of butter, salt and pepper to 
taste, and serve piping hot with oyster crackers. 

18. Sea mussels a la Newhurg. —After thoroughly cleaning one-half peck of 
mussels, steam them as usual. Remove the meats from the shells and place 
them in a saucepan, adding a glass or cupfull of tlieir liquor and a pint of heavy 
cream and a glass of good sherry wine. Season to taste with salt, nutmeg, and 
cayenne pepper; place on the fire and bring to a boil. Then have ready in a 
dish 3 ounces of butter and the yolks of two eggs mixed together in a paste. 
Pour in the saucepan, stirring the mixture on the range all the time till it 
comes to the boiling point, but do not let it boil. Serve in chafing dish with 
toasted bread around. 


ADDITIONAL COPIES of this publication 
2A may be procured from the Superintend¬ 
ent of Documents, Government Printing 
Office, Washington, D. C., at 5 cents per copy 














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